As everyone knows, the Dunbar Garden is a temporary one, which means we operate year-to-year, based on agreements with the landowner. We hope to continue the garden into 2018, but at this time, we don't yet know for sure. Look for an update in the coming months––fingers crossed.

We're well into hot, drought-like weather––beautiful beach conditions, but a real strain on our plants and the watering system at large. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you encounter any leaks or busted nozzles.

We've turned a corner, don't you think? There's a verifiable heat to the touch of the sun, flowers are abloom, and the winter coats are finally being tucked away in closets for storage. Perfect time to plant a garden!

November is here––the sky is heavy with rain, the days are short, and cleaning out our beds at the Dunbar garden feels like the last thing we want to do. Alas!

Here are a few garden updates for November:

WATER IS OFF

Not that anyone has used the hoses in months, but there you have it: we've taken away all the hoses and shut off the system. You can expect the water to come back on in the spring!

BEDS TO REST

I know, I know: this weather is really discouraging. But there are a lot of untended beds at the garden that need some love. Getting wet in the garden is half the fun, right?

We ask that each of you do your part to clear dead plants and put them in the compost. Once you've done so, spread a couple bucketfuls of leaves over top. We've placed a few big bags of leaves in the middle of the garden for you to make use of. This is what a bed should look like over winter. It's a good idea to mulch in and around plants you wish to leave growing as well.

GROWING TIPS: COVER CROPS + SOUP

It's a tad late in the season, but not quite too late for those interested in planting a cover crop in their beds. Cover crops (such as clover, alfalfa and certain grasses) are excellent ways to sink nutrients back into your soil during the gardening "off season." Here's an informative article (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=e3606b4873&e=129bdc1288) from a great publication in the States called Modern Farmer.

And because it is so miserable out there, why not stay inside and make a pot of soup? Here's a great winter squash soup recipe from Smitten Kitchen (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=f557631270&e=129bdc1288) .

Hope to see you out in your raincoats!

Adrick

Garden Manager
garden@shiftinggrowth.com
shiftinggrowth.com

Did you know that Shifting Growth sells our unique pallet raised garden beds online? Our ** Garden Store (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=0bc95d2ef8&e=129bdc1288)
sells raised garden beds and other elevated growing systems. The raised garden beds come prefabricated and are elevated from the ground for easy growing. Raised garden beds are great for front and backyards, and the pallet garden bed allows you to grow on any surface (concrete, parking lots or any empty space). We offer free delivery in BC's Lower Mainland, including Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster, Delta, and Tsawwassen. See our Raised Garden Bed Store here: ** http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=b5426cb7f4&e=129bdc1288 (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=25805ad087&e=129bdc1288)

Fall is officially here, and plants are slowing down at the Dunbar Community Garden. It's time to pull up our yellowed tomato vines and cover the soil with mulch for the winter.

Here are a few garden updates for October:

PHOTO CONTEST

We're looking for photos of the garden! Got a nice shot of your bean plants, blowing in the wind? Sunflowers? Arugula? Gardeners? To enter the contest, please send your top pic to garden@shiftinggrowth.com before November 1st. (One pic per gardener, please, and be sure to label your JPEG with your first and last name).

The winner will get their beds for free for the 2017 growing season.

HARVEST

Despite the chilly weather, there is still good food to harvest from the garden. Remember to pluck those last tomatoes, that last pepper, before it's too late. We also want to avoid rotting vegetables in the beds; this tends to attract rats.

GREEN WASTE

In preparation for winter, we ask that everyone do their part in clearing all dead plant matter from their beds before November 1st. Green waste goes in the northeast corner of the garden.

PUTTING BEDS TO REST

The final stage in putting your beds to rest for the winter is to cover them with mulch. We will provide leaves for this purpose starting mid-month. We ask that you put leaves on your own bed, and do so before we shut off the water at the end of this month. You are welcome to plant a cover crop (like clover) instead of mulching, but even over-winter crops (like kale and garlic) benefit from a good couple inches of mulch. See Garden Tips for a run-down of the process.

WATER SHUT-OFF

To avoid freezing pipes, we'll be shutting off the water and pulling up hoses during the last week of October.

The goal with winter preparation is to protect your plants, and, more importantly, your soil, from the damage of winter weather. In BC, months of continuous rain can erode and compress your soil, washing out valuable nutrients and turning it acidic. Good winter preparation will help keep your soil in condition, add several weeks of growth to your garden in the late fall and early spring, and suppress weeds.

Here are a few simple steps:

Remove diseased plants or plant parts (like powdery mildew).

Thin your winter sprouts out (like carrots, radishes, beets).

Remove any plants that have stopped producing (such as corn, zucchini, tomatoes, beans).

Add some organic matter (like compost or manure, which can be purchased from any garden or hardware store).

Cover your beds (with a wholesome layer of leaves, which we'll be providing).

October is a great month for planting garlic, as the bulbs will overwinter deep in the soil and sprout early next spring. If you've never planted garlic before, check out this helpful article from Abundant City (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=d3e4ffc9f5&e=129bdc1288) . Here's the accompanying video:

http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=bd57c34637&e=129bdc1288
More good stuff from Rebecca Cuttler!

It's a new year at the Dunbar Community Garden. Spring is just around the corner––albeit a very grey, rainy corner––and that means it's time to turn our attention to the business of gardening.

Here are a few very important updates and notices for the upcoming growing season:

EARLY REGISTRATION

Returning gardeners are encouraged to complete their Gardener Registration and pay their Garden Fee for 2016. The fee for the upcoming year is $15 per bed.

We have streamlined the sign-up and payment process with a new Garden App. Click here to REGISTER AND PAY FOR YOUR DUNBAR COMMUNITY GARDEN MEMBERSHIP 2016 (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=81f0ada983&e=129bdc1288) .

**As always, returning gardeners will hold onto the same beds they gardened in 2015. If you are unsure what beds belong to you, have a look at the most recent garden bed allocation list at the bottom of this email.

LEAVING THE GARDEN?

There always interest in growing space at the Dunbar Garden. If you will not be returning to the garden for 2016, please let me know so that I can pass along your beds to a new gardener.

GARDEN OPENING 2016

The garden is open year-round, but our official Garden Opening event will take place on the first or second weekend of April. This event is a fun one and not to be missed. We'll have a fresh delivery of compost for you to mix into your beds for added soil nutrition, as well as art supplies for beautifying your bed placards.

Similar to last year, we will have a local partner with us selling seeds and starts, and answering questions about what to grow when.

**The Garden Opening also serves as the final deadline for Garden Registration and Payment.

If we haven't received your online form and payment by this time, your beds will be offered to a new gardener. If you wish to pay your Gardener Fees with cash or cheque, the Opening is a great time to deliver this method of payment!

GARDEN TIPS: PLANNING YOUR BEDS

One of the funnest parts of gardening is deciding what to plant, where to plant it, and when to put your seeds in the soil.

Here are some basic considerations when planning your beds:

1) Choose your seeds: what kinds of vegetables, leafy greens and herbs are you most excited about eating?

2) Group your seeds into 'families'. Crop rotation can get really complicated, but its basis is a principle that's easy to incorporate into your plans. In simple terms, it's wise to not plant the same type of plant (kale, for instance) in the same place in your garden, season after season. This leeches nutrients from the soil and leaves you susceptible to diseases.

3) Check out the handy West Coast Seeds chart (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=2f662d5088&e=129bdc1288) to determine when your favourite veggies and herbs should be planted.

4) Plan for a consistent harvest: in one bed, for instance, you might plant spinach and corn salad (cold-hardy plants) in March, harvest in late May, and then plant squash and tomatoes for June (warmer weather plants).

5) Map it out! Below is an example of how you can organize your plantings on paper. Have some fun with it, but remember––you can plan until the cows come home and it still won't turn out perfect in reality!

For a more detailed approach to planning your garden, check out this amazing article (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=f47601bda2&e=129bdc1288) in Abundant City.

As everyone knows, our beautiful community garden is not permanent. We're lucky enough to count on another season at this site, but it's never a guarantee. Let's make the best of this incredible opportunity while we have it!

Winter has befallen the Dunbar Community Garden––frost cloaks the kale leaves, and beneath a layer of crispy mulch, next year's garlic prepares to send up its hardy shoots.

Here are a few notes from the year that was, and some updates on the coming season:

NEXT YEAR

The registration process for 2016 will be the same as the previous spring, and, as always, returning gardeners will hold onto the same beds. Look for an email early next year with further details.

Please encourage any friends or neighbours to contact me about joining the garden for 2016. There will be space available!

BEDS TO REST

If you haven't already, please clean out any green waste (re: dead plants) from your beds to avoid rot. Greens go in the box in the southeast corner of the garden.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

It was a tough choice, but we have selected a winning photograph in our First Annual Photo Contest. This photograph was sent to us by Sharyn, a gardener at the Hastings North Community Garden. Here's what the judges had to say:

"Sunflowers tower above a future green thumb, radiating in the warm fall light. How can you not love this image?"

Congratulations to our two runners-up, Angie and Marline, from the Southeast False Creek Community Garden.

Fall has been generous to us at the Dunbar Community Garden––plenty of sun, warm days, and rain when it counts. We're still seeing production from plants that went into the ground over six months ago. I, for one, haven't bought kale from a grocery store since February. I have grown a bit tired of kale salad, but hey, the gardener taketh what the garden giveth away.

Here are a few garden updates for November:

WATER SHUT OFF

We will be shutting off water at the garden and removing the hoses this week to avoid freezing damage over the winter. We'll start the water up again in spring, after the final frost.

GREEN WASTE

If you have dead/withered plants in your beds, it's time to pull them up in preparation for winter. Green waste goes in the compost area in the northeast corner of the garden.

PUTTING BEDS TO REST

The final stage in putting your beds to rest for the winter is to cover them with mulch. There are plenty of leaves to make use of: we ask that you put leaves on your own bed, and do so as soon as possible. You are welcome to plant a cover crop (like clover) instead of mulching, but even over-winter crops (like kale and garlic) benefit from a good couple inches of mulch. See the photo below for an example of what a 'resting bed' looks like.

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP

If you're on Facebook, be sure to join the newly minted Dunbar Community Garden Group (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=7df190fc8f&e=129bdc1288) . I understand there may be other iterations of this group on FB, but in the spirit of getting everyone onto the same platform, I encourage you to consider this the official Dunbar Garden group. Going forward, it will be a great place to post garden photos, watering requests, and other garden related info.

PHOTO CONTEST EXTENSION

For anyone who wants to send a photo into the first annual photo contest, we're pushing the deadline back one week, to November 7th. To enter the contest, please send your top pic (only one per gardener, please) to garden@shiftinggrowth.com.

The winning photo will be announced in our December Garden Update, and the winner will get their beds for free for the 2016 growing season.

GROWING TIPS: MULCHING YOUR BEDS

Here's an example of a garden bed that has been cleared and nicely mulched. There's no such thing as too many leaves––go crazy.

And for those suffering from kale fatigue, here's a fresh take on the ** kale salad (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=b76f4adae9&e=129bdc1288)
from one of my favourite food blogs.

Fall is officially here, and plants are slowing down at the Dunbar Community Garden. It's time to pull up our yellowed tomato vines and cover the soil with mulch for the winter.

Here are a few garden updates for October:

FIRST ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

We're looking for your photos from the garden! Got a nice shot of your kale plants, blowing in the wind? Sunflowers? Lettuce? The salad you made with that lettuce? To enter the contest, please send your top pic (only one per gardener, please) to garden@shiftinggrowth.com before November 1st.

The winning photo will be featured on our website, and the winner will get their beds for free for the 2016 growing season.

HARVEST

Despite the chilly weather, there is still good food to harvest from the beds at the garden. Remember to pluck those last tomatoes, that last cucumber, before it's too late. We also want to avoid rotting vegetables in the beds; this tends to attract vermin of the pointy-nosed, pink-tailed variety.

GREEN WASTE

In preparation for winter, we ask that everyone do their part in clearing all dead plant matter from the beds before November 1st. Green waste goes in the black compost bin in the northeast corner of the garden. October always has a lot of green waste, so we'll be by the garden more often to empty it. If it's getting pretty full, pile it up in that area––an email my way would also be appreciated.

PUTTING BEDS TO REST

The final stage in putting your beds to rest for the winter is to cover them with mulch. We will provide leaves for this purpose by the middle of October. We ask that you put leaves on your own bed, and do so before we shut off the water at the end of this month. You are welcome to plant a cover crop (like clover) instead of mulching, but even over-winter crops (like kale and garlic) benefit from a good couple inches of mulch. See Garden Tips for a run-down of the process. Also, be sure to make use of the bagged manure that lives behind the old water system at the northeast corner of the garden. This can be applied to the beds prior to mulching.

NEXT YEAR

To clear up any lingering confusion: your bed allocation WILL NOT CHANGE for 2016. The only action required of you to secure your place in the garden for the upcoming year is to sign off on the Gardener Agreement and pay your 2016 fee come April, 2016.

If you already know that you will not be returning to the garden next year, please let me know in an email.

GROWING TIPS: PREPARING YOUR BEDS FOR WINTER

The goal with winter preparation is to protect your plants, and, more importantly, your soil, from the damage of winter weather. In BC, months of continuous rain can erode and compress your soil, washing out valuable nutrients and turning it acidic. Good winter preparation will help keep your soil in condition, add several weeks of growth to your garden in the late fall and early spring, and suppress weeds.

Here are a few simple steps:

Remove diseased plants or plant parts (like powdery mildew).

Thin your winter sprouts out (like carrots, radishes, beets).

Remove any plants that have stopped producing (such as corn, zucchini, tomatoes, beans).

Add some organic matter (like compost or manure, which can be purchased from any garden or hardware store).

Cover your beds (with a wholesome layer of leaves, which we'll be providing).

This info is a condensed version of a great post from the Abundant City blog. Check out the full version here (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=a5822bedb1&e=129bdc1288) .

Fall is closing in on us, despite the feeling that summer will go on forever. The days are getting shorter, the sun is a little less smouldering, and there's a nip to the air at night that presages frost. In short, harvest time is here.

Here are a few garden updates for September:

WATER RESTRICTIONS

Metro Vancouver is still experiencing drought conditions, so Stage 3 water restrictions are still in place. We are (hopefully) due for some autumn rain, but in the mean time, let's continue to be conservative with our water use at the garden. Any leaking hoses or busted nozzles, don't hesitate to get in touch with me ASAP.

FALL CROPS

If you're new to the garden, or have just cleared up space in your beds, there are still a few options for late-summer/early fall crops. Two delicious options with the quickest turn-around are radishes and corn salad (also known as mache) which can be direct-seeded. Endives (or radicchio) can also be direct-seeded in September. It's still a little early for garlic, which is an over-winter crop, but you can certainly start reserving space in your beds for bulbs. Figaro's Garden (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=64093971f7&e=129bdc1288) sells excellent organic garlic stock, and you can also buy heads directly from a farmers' market.

FALL SCHEDULE

We will be providing mulch (likely leaves) around the middle of October for you to use to cover your beds in preparation for winter. The first frost in Vancouver is slated for November 5th, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, so we will be packing up the hoses and shutting off the water around this time to avoid frozen pipes.

As always, the garden remains open year-round for those gardeners wishing to tend their crops through the winter.

HARVEST

It may seem self-evident, but don't forget to pick the food you've grown! Each fall we witness a lot of unpicked beds; if you can't keep up with your harvest, why not give some veggies to a friend or neighbour?

COVER CROP EVENT

The Vancouver Urban Farming Society is hosting a cover cropping workshop on Wednesday, September 9th in Mount Pleasant, starting at 4:30pm. If you're interested, check out their website (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=fb0683ecf8&e=129bdc1288) .

GROWING TIPS: SEED SAVING

Now is a great time to think about harvesting seeds from your plants to store over winter and plant again in the spring. Here's a great website (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=8add59d66e&e=129bdc1288) that offers a basic how-to for a bunch of different vegetable plants. Tomatoes, however, may be the most fun––check out this video!
http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=9e6e894a00&e=129bdc1288

Despite the heat, plants at the Dunbar Garden are looking bountiful and alive––tomatoes, basil, peas, kale... all thriving!

Here are a few garden updates for August:

WATER RESTRICTIONS

As you are all aware, we've entered Stage 3 water restrictions for Metro Vancouver. The watering of lawns is prohibited, but we're still able to water our vegetable gardens, so a bit of a break there. That said, let's continue to be conservative with our watering (no more than 3 waterings a week, which should be ample), and to report any busted nozzles or leaking hoses, so that I can address the issue ASAP.

Fingers crossed that the city doesn't bump us into Stage 4 restrictions, which ban the watering of vegetable gardens outright. Eep!

NO SMOKING AT THE GARDEN

Due to the fire hazards, the garden will be a No Smoking zone for the rest of the summer. I ask that you all help out by observing this rule, as well as informing any visitors to the garden that the fire risks are simply too high to have lit cigarettes on site with all that dry wood chip.

WEEDS

Keeping up with the weeds at the garden is an ongoing (losing) battle. I'm asking you to help out by yanking anything that's growing up through the liner and wood chip in the immediate vicinity of your beds. These pesky plants can be composted. Cheers.

GROWING TIPS: GARLIC HARVEST

If you haven't yet yanked your garlic, or if you want to learn about garlic harvesting for next year, here's a great video:

And if you're interested, check out this summer update from ** West Coast Seeds (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=373b6047b7&e=129bdc1288)
on gardening in an El Nino year.

These long, hot days are both a blessing and a curse at the Dunbar Community Garden: boxes are bursting with life, but it can be a slog just to keep those boxes watered.

Here are a few garden updates for July:

FIRE ALERT

This heat is taking a toll on the plants, but it's also creating a fire risk at the garden. We've had some fire scares at another garden from discarded cigarette butts in the dry wood chip. Going forward, we're going to ask that the garden be a non-smoking environment (for both gardeners and visitors to the garden). We'll get some signs up soon, and I'll ask that everyone lend a hand in reminding anyone who might be smoking to do so elsewhere, off site. If, heaven forbid, there is an instance of a fire, please get in touch with me immediately.

WATERING

We're well into the hot stretch and this means the beds get dried out very quickly. Make sure to give your plants a good dousing of water (ideally in the cooler 'shoulder' hours of the day), three to four times a week. If you'll be out of town, I'd recommend posting a sign on the shed board asking for watering favours.

VACANT BEDS

I've got a few more empty beds in need of gardeners -- pass along the word!

GROWING TIPS: FALL & WINTER CROPS

It may seem bizarre to start thinking about the cooler months, but now is a great time to create some space in your beds for fall and winter crops (like carrots, beets, onions, broccoli, and cabbage).http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=861fa199ce906ae0ccc9593b6&id=c4da7e7cc7&e=a2801bf3c2Check out this great resource from West Coast Seeds (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=9683f704b9&e=129bdc1288) , and another concise article from the Vancouver Observer (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=8491e64990&e=129bdc1288) . (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=83d343f83c&e=129bdc1288)